How not to get a job, and how to get one

sticky notes on a wall; one reads 'find job'“How can I get a job in user research?”

It’s a question that comes up a lot, and reappeared the other day in one of the forums I belong to.

It reminded me of a post I wrote a few years ago in response to the annual deluge of speculative emails from new graduates asking me to give them a job:

And then, a bit later, I wrote another one with more positive advice:

These days we talk more about ‘user research’ or ‘user experience’ than ‘usability’ – but I think the advice is still good.

picture credit: Flazingo Photos Licensed under creative commons